Memories And Ice Cream
by Marymel
Summary: Sofia meets Greg and Jackson again and talk about how things have changed in the lab. Spoilers for 13x16, "Last Woman Standing."


**Jackson is my original character, but that's all I own.**

**Some spoilers for 13x16, "Last Woman Standing."**

**As I've said before, I always liked the friendship between Greg and Sofia, and I really enjoyed writing my two stories, "Guess Life Goes On" and "Family Time," where Sofia meets Greg's son, Jackson. So I wondered what might happen if they met again, particularly after the events in "Last Woman Standing." And this is what I came up with. Enjoy...and please review!**

Deputy Chief Sofia Curtis was heading home after speaking with Conrad Ecklie and D.B. Russell about a recent case the grave shift had closed. She had to admit it was surreal working for Conrad again - once as his right-hand CSI, now as the deputy chief to his sheriff. Still, she knew Conrad and the team had come so far since he was promoted to lab director, then undersheriff. Shaking her head with a small smile, she turned to a hamburger stand to get some lunch.

As she got out of her car, she smiled when she saw Greg Sanders and his son Jackson sitting at an outdoor table, enjoying some ice cream. She walked up to them, and Jackson smiled when he saw her.

"Oh, hi," Jackson said. "I 'member you!"

Greg looked up and smiled. "Sofia, hey!"

"Hi," Sofia said with a warm smile. "I was hoping I'd get a chance to say hi before I left the lab, but you'd already gone."

"Yeah, I had to get Jacks from Mrs. Russell," Greg said. "She takes care of him when I'm at work."

"Yeah, Mrs. Barbara nice!" Jackson said. "She sometimes lets me help her make zucky bread."

"Zucchini bread," Greg said, noting Sofia's confused expression.

"Oh, she does?" Sofia asked with a nod. Jackson giggled and nodded. "I just came from talking to Mr. Russell."

"Uncle D.B. is nice," Jackson said. "One time, we saw a spider in da bafroom, an' he took it an' let it go in da backyard."

"Wow," Sofia whispered with a smile.

Jackson smiled. He hadn't seen much of Sofia, but he knew she was a good friend of his father's and Morgan.

Sofia couldn't help but smile at the little boy with ice cream all over his mouth who looked just like his father.

Greg smiled when he noticed Sofia watching Jackson. "You know what?" He asked his son. "She knew your Mama when she was a kid."

Jackson's eyes grew wide. "You did?"

"Yeah," Sofia said with a smile. "When I first met her, she wasn't much bigger than you."

Jackson smiled. "She was as big as me?"

"Uh-huh. She would come to the lab just like you do sometimes and talk to her dad about science."

"She come see Papa Eckie?"

Sofia laughed softly. "She sure did! They would sometimes eat dinner together if her dad was working late."

Jackson and Greg both smiled. "One time, Mama an' me went to meet Papa Eckie at a restaurant, an' we eat soup!" Jackson said with a big smile.

Sofia smiled at the sweet little boy. "You did?"

"Uh-huh, an' Papa Eckie got me anudder spoon so I could have some. It was yummy!"

Sofia smiled at Jackson. "Well, it sounds like you've got a pretty cool family." Jackson smiled and nodded. Playfully nudging Greg's elbow, she added, "I gotta admit, I never would have imagined Conrad as the doting grandpa, but he had to tell me about this sweet boy."

"Who Conrad?" Jackson asked.

"Why, he's your grandpa," Sofia said with a warm smile.

"He calls him Papa Eckie," Greg said. "Ever since Morgan said he can call him Papa - that's what he calls my dad - it's always been 'Papa Eckie'." He smiled at his son.

"Oh, I see," Sofia said with a nod.

"Yeah, he my Papa Eckie," Jackson said. "An' my udder grandpa is my Papa...daddy, what his name?"

"Daniel."

"Oh, yeah...my Papa Daniel."

"Oh, I see," Sofia said with a warm smile. "Do you like spending time with your Papa Eckie?"

"Yeah!" Jackson said. "De udder night, him an' my daddy an' mama an' me went to dinner...but I had to put on dressy clothes."

"Yeah, he treated us to dinner at Maestro's to celebrate his promotion," Greg explained. "Jackson doesn't like to dress up."

Sofia smiled as Jackson shook his head with a smile. She remembered when she first worked with the team after Ecklie had been promoted to lab director, and she changed from a red party dress to a standard-issue jumpsuit. "Let me guess," she said to Greg. "He got food all over it before the dinner was over?"

Greg nodded. He smiled as his son happily ate his ice cream and chatted with him and Sofia.

Sofia's order number was called and she got her sandwich. Jackson watched as she got her food. "Are you gunna eat wif us?"

Sofia smiled softly at the sweet little boy. "Well, I was going to just take it home."

Greg smiled at his friend and former colleague. "Why don't you join us? We've still got some ice cream."

"Yeah," Jackson said. "Do you like ice cream?"

Sofia smiled. "I love ice cream." She smiled as she sat next to Greg.

"Did you know dat I had chocolate ice cream at my birfday party?" Jackson asked.

"His birthday's February 15," Greg told Sofia.

"It is?" Sofia asked with a smile. "Well, I know it's late, but happy birthday."

Jackson giggled. "Thank you. Do you wanna come to my next birfday party?"

"I'd love to."

Sofia and Greg smiled at the sweet little boy. Greg was thankful to have his son, and Sofia remembered how Greg grew up from the goofy DNA tech to the competent CSI.

Jackson happily finished his ice cream and got up to throw it away. Greg shook his head and smiled as he saw his son's mouth and hands covered in ice cream. He put some water on a napkin and pulled Jackson into his lap.

"Did any ice cream actually get in your mouth?" Greg asked as he cleaned his squirming son's face.

"Daddy, it yummy!" Jackson said with a laugh.

Sofia smiled as she watched father and son. It was clear they loved each other very much.

Jackson smiled as he watched Sofia eat her lunch. "Did you really know my mama whem she was as big as me?"

Sofia nodded. "I sure did...and I knew your daddy back when he first started working as a CSI."

"Yeah," Greg said. "She helped me when I first started working cases with your Uncle Nick and Aunt Sara."

Sofia smiled, remembering how it hurt to have been demoted before she became a detective. "Yeah, we did. And then I worked more with Jim."

Jackson smiled. "You know Uncle Jim? I like him!"

"I do too," Sofia said with a smile.

Sofia listened to Jackson and Greg talk about their extended family in the lab and how Jackson loved to spend time with all of them. He chatted about how he loved to read with Greg and Morgan, about Nick's dog Sam, and anything else that he thought of.

"Did you know my Uncle Warrick?" Jackson asked.

Sofia and Greg both smiled sadly. "I did," Sofia said. "He was a really good man."

"He would have liked you," Greg added.

"His little boy is my friend," Jackson said.

"Really?" Sofia asked with a warm smile.

"Uh-huh. His name is Eli, an' he likes to color. Me an' him, we were at Uncle Nicky's house, an' we colored wif chalk!"

"Yeah," Greg added. "Nick's patio is now an Eli Brown and Jackson Sanders original work of art."

Sofia smiled, remembering Warrick and how far Greg and the team had come since his passing. "Wow!"

Just then, Sofia's cell rang. She groaned when she saw a message from Ecklie. "Looks like I've got another case to work with Conrad."

"Yeah, I've gotta get him home," Greg said. "We'll probably have dinner with Morgan before I have to get him back to Mrs. Barbara's."

"Well, I've enjoyed this." Sofia smiled at the father and son. "I hadn't seen you in a while. It was great to catch up." She smiled at Jackson. "And I really enjoyed seeing you."

"I like seeing you too," Jackson said with a smile as he squirmed in Greg's lap.

"Look, why don't we do this again sometime?" Greg asked. "I'm sure Morgan would love to see you again."

"I'd like that," Sofia said. "Maybe we'll have dinner sometime...if you promise to bring him." Sofia smiled at Jackson.

Greg smiled at his son. "What do you think, Jacks? You want to have lunch with Sofia again sometime?"

"Yes!" Jackson answered. Greg and Sofia laughed softly.

"Okay," Sofia said. "How about we get together...next week?"

"Morgan and I both have Tuesday off," Greg said. "I'll ask her if she wants to get together."

"An' can we get ice cream?" Jackson asked.

Sofia laughed softly. "As long as it's chocolate."

"Yeah! Dat's my favorite!"

"Okay!" Sofia smiled at the two. "Let's plan for Tuesday, around noon. That sound good?"

Greg nodded and opened his mouth to answer, only to have Jackson say, "Yes!"

"Sounds good," Greg said. He looked at the smiling, squirming child in his lap. "You ready to go home?"

"Yeah, I ready." Jackson climbed off Greg's lap and hugged Sofia. "I see you later?"

"Oh, I hope so," Sofia said. She smiled at Greg. "See you." She threw her trash away as Greg put Jackson in his car seat.

"Daddy, I like her. She nice," Jackson said.

"Yeah, she's cool," Greg said. "She helped me when I first started working with Uncle Nick, Aunt Sara and Uncle Jim."

"Cool!"

As Greg got in and started the car, he asked, "You think we can all have lunch together soon."

"Yeah...as long as she has chocolate ice cream."

**The End.**


End file.
